Alex Wurz: 'GPDA still a force to be reckoned with.'

Former F1 driver and Grand Prix Drivers Association president, Alex Wurz says the corporation has been and will remain an established force striving to improve safety in Formula 1.

Founded in 1961, the GPDA is one of the oldest organizations linked with Grand Prix racing. A former Benetton and Williams driver, Alex Wurz has presided over the association's destiny since 2014.

The German, who is also a member of the FIA's Institute Safety Group, says the GPDA's involvement, while sometimes discrete, is significant.

"Over the years, the GPDA has been a driving force in asking the FIA to look into safety and improve it," explained Wurz in a podcast with Motor Sport Magazine.

"It is a unique selling point in racing that we don't jeopardize performance but make the cars safer and safer. This should be underlined as a strength.

"It means we can race very aggressively, at such high speeds, on tracks such as Monaco. And we can still do it while the entire world is moving into a much more extreme safety cushion than we have in Formula 1."

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Wurz insisted however that the GPDA also worked hard in the wings, out of view of the public eye.

"What you don't see in the media is the influence we have," he added.

"We do have a very good corporation, and one thing I can say is that a very top FIA official told us that for the last few years, they have never had such a dialogue between drivers and the rule makers and stake holders, which all of us find beneficial.

"That is something I hope we can continue and I hope that with all the drivers, even those that aren't GPDA members, we make sure our sport is fit for the future, to attract more fans and to keep growing.

"As drivers, we don't think politically, we just want the best for the sport."

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